New to this and need to talk

Hello, 38M with an incidentally found aneurysm on 11/1/21 and had surgery on 12/1/21. This has not been easy and live in constant fear of a bleed, stroke and lately my anxiety has been on my radiation exposure from the procedure and the multi t scans. I had two stents and five coils placed. My anxiety has been bad and am trying to be positive through this.

Good Morning @Loveforall I’m happy you started a topic on what you’re experiencing, Has your specialist told you they are confident they were able to “fix” your aneurysm?

I certainly understand fear of radiation exposure with images as I’ve had several dozen CTs. I’ve been told a few times I could light up the county in which I reside. Here’s something I’ve learned - CTs use radiation, MRIs and MRAs do not as they use Magnetic Resonance. The MRI is used to see soft tissue, the MRA is used to see blood flow in veins and arteries ask have been told. Cerebral angiogram/arteriogram uses radiation as well, along with contrasting agent. These are the ones where the surgeon places a catheter in either the femoral artery or radial artery.

But knowing about the different images isn’t the issue, it’s the fear of the “what ifs” or the unknown. I used to refuse mammograms and would ask how much radiation can I have before I get cancer. There’s no definitive answer, I’m unsure if the researchers have ever thought to research it. I’m guessing it’s different for everyone. When I find myself going down the rabbit hole, I breathe - relaxation breathing. And then I do something I enjoy to keep my brain focused on that one thing. I also allow myself a set time to acknowledge and move on. I don’t want to be defined by my rupture, there’s more to me than that experience.

It can be a chore to stay positive but it’s energy well spent IMHO. I hope other members will add what they do to overcome their fears.